Page 13

Story: Ferocity

“Be that as it may,” Maisie began. “If money should get tight around here...”

She didn’t have to say the rest, Maisie would throw Scarlett out. She squared her shoulders. “Do what you please, Maisie. I need to get to my apartment. Samantha is staying with me tonight while you pimp out the sanctuary to pay for your new cubs and kits.”

“How dare you.” Maisie’s lip curled.

“How dare you. The trust for this place was specific. You broke the rules. Not any of us.” She should have shut up. Saying anything had a chance of blowing up in her face. Scarlett sighed. “This fight isn’t worth it.”

An evil smile curled her sister’s lips. “Exactly. You don’t have it in you to fight. You have always been a disappointment and you will always be a disappointment. You would do well to remember you can be replaced at any time.”

Scarlett laughed as she continued up the stairs. “Don’t worry, I know my place here.”

She stepped into her apartment and let out a cleansing breath. She had a few moments to change before Samantha would join her. By eight, the girl would be going to bed and she would be out of the apartment, on the way to the auction. She kicked off her shoes then headed to her room to change. She didn't know when Kenny would be back, and she hoped it wasn't while Samantha was around. Explaining to her niece her intentions would get back to Maisie. After the incident at the stairs, she didn't want to deal with her sister's bullshit.

The thought hit her then. Wouldn’t it be easier to continue to embezzle money from the sanctuary, if Scarlett was gone? She shook her head. She knew her sister hated her, but this much? What would be the chances, she’d use her actions against Scarlett? The thought sent a bolt of fright and anger through her. It shouldn’t have surprised her though. Maisie had shown her true colors when they were children. No matter what her sister said, she was trying to kill Scarlett that day.

A knock came at her door as she slipped on a sweatshirt and comfy pants.Right on time.She hurried from her room back to the entrance of her home. Opening the door, she saw Samantha and Gabe, one of the workers, standing at her threshold. In Gabe’s hands sat the pizza she ordered on the way home. Samantha gazed up at her with a smile on her face while she hitched her backpack up on her shoulder.

“You’re here.” She took the pizza from Gabe. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“No problem, Miss Scarlett.” He nodded before stepping away.

Scarlett moved aside allowing her niece to enter the living room. “Did you bring a movie?”

“No. I thought we could stream something.” She held up her Fire stick. “Mom doesn’t know.” She giggled as she went to the couch and plopped down.

“We could get in trouble,” Scarlett mumbled.

“No, we won't, Auntie Scarlett." She giggles as she attaches the stick to the television. "I want to watch anime. I know of a few good ones. You'll like it. Some of the people have scars like yours."

“No one has a scar like mine,” Scarlett murmured as she plated up a couple of slices of pizza. “I have grape soda and milk, which do you want?”

“I want to go wild,” her niece answered. “Grape soda with ice.”

“On it.” Scarlett glanced up at the TV as Samantha set it up. The screen went black then a purple title box came up as the program loaded. “So, what’s this channel?” She came around the counter and handed the girl her dinner.

“It’sAnime Express. I like it. There are new shows every day. You can watch it in Japanese with subtitles or dubbed.”

When she came back to her niece’s side, the little girl already had a show queued up. “What’s this?” She took a bite of her pizza and sat back.

“It’s called,Alameda No Shouboutai.” Samantha took a bite of her food. “It’s really good. I told mommy I wanted to go to a convention where all this stuff is at.”

Scarlett curled up on the couch as the cartoon began with a catchy theme song. “They have those things?”

Her niece nodded. "Uh-huh." She pulled her tablet out of her bag and started typing on the screen. "See."

She took the pad from her niece and frowned. “This is huge.” She tapped the screen and skimmed the pictures. “And people dress up?”

"Uh-huh. It's so cool. All the kids are cosplayers now, Auntie." Samantha grabbed a notebook out of her bag. "I've been creating my costume for a couple of months now. What do you think?"

She cleaned off her hands then took the book. She stared at the intricate drawings, the color swatches, and budgeting of her niece's money. It also included where she could stay and how much she required for food and transportation. Samantha reminded Scarlett of herself. Always knew what things would cost, how to be efficient, but also obtain quality items. In a word, she was impressed.

“Can we work on this together?” She pointed to the dress.

Samantha turned her wide-eyed gaze on Scarlett. “You mean it?”

She smiled. “I would love to help you.”

“That would be amazing! Thank you, Auntie Scarlett. You’re the best.” She hugged Scarlett tight before turning her attention back to the screen. “I can fill you in on what’s going on while we watch, okay?”